Anaconda Earrings
21st Century and Contemporary American Byzantine Chandelier Earrings
Freshwater Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Byzantine Stud Earrings
Gold, 14k Gold
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1980s French Cocktail Dresses
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Byzantine Charm Bracelets
Gold Plate
20th Century Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Amethyst, Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Byzantine Charm Bracelets
Gold Plate
Vintage 1980s French Byzantine Cuff Bracelets
2010s Contemporary Link Bracelets
Rhodium, Sterling Silver
20th Century French Brooches
20th Century French Link Necklaces
Vintage 1980s French Cuff Bracelets
Bronze, Gilt Metal
20th Century Italian Byzantine More Jewelry
Antique Early 1900s French Art Nouveau More Jewelry
Diamond, Opal, 18k Gold
Antique Late 19th Century Victorian More Jewelry
Vintage 1950s French Byzantine More Jewelry
Gilt Metal
20th Century French Cuff Bracelets
Gilt Metal
20th Century French Clip-on Earrings
1990s French Byzantine Cuff Bracelets
Gold Plate, Bronze, Enamel, Gilt Metal
Finding the Right earrings for You
In the United States, ear piercing didn’t really become popular until the 1950s and ‘60s, but our desire for a dazzling pair of vintage earrings has deeper roots than that. In fact, wearing earrings actually goes back thousands of years, and you can find many tangible connections between now and then in how we continue to talk about these treasured accessories.
Women wore ornamental earrings — studs and hoops at the very least — in Ancient Egypt, which is home to mines that are among the earliest sources of emeralds in the world. Emerald earrings are highly prized today, and their quality lies in their rich, saturated color. The highest-quality emeralds are green or bluish-green. Earrings worn by the affluent in early Roman civilizations were set with precious stones such as diamonds and pearls, and a clean-looking pop of pearl on the front of the lobe is as timeless as ever. Hoop earrings are imbued with symbolism and cultural significance for many, and on view in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Ancient Near Eastern Art Gallery is a pair of simple gold hoops from Mesopotamia dating to between 2600 and 2500 B.C.
Today, ear piercing is very popular all over the world, and, as a result, it is difficult to overstate how much everyone pines for a good pair of earrings — modernist drop earrings, glamorous Victorian hoops, geometrically complex chandelier earrings, you name it. Sure, jewelry trends and the fashion darlings of social media come and go, but earrings have a staying power that seems impenetrable: The still-strong love affair between British royals and Cartier earrings is more than a century old, glossy 1970s hoops from legacy houses such as Bulgari and Van Cleef & Arpels remain the statement makers they’ve always been and although people have been stacking earrings for many moons, the allure of an expertly mismatched stack of charms and studs still feels fresh and new.
While there is no shortage of modern earring designs to choose from, the classics, like coral earrings, Art Deco–style earrings and diamond drop earrings are still heavy hitters. On 1stDibs, find a wide range of antique, new and vintage earrings today.